The air above Edmonton was washed with a dull orange light Wednesday morning as the sun tried to break through the haze. Residents spent the morning posting pictures of the glow, calling it ‘apocalyptic.’ (Codie McLachlan / Star Metro Edmonton)

Visibility in the capital region was very limited Wednesday morning as the sky turned a dark and dirty brown overnight from smoke and particulate matter. Street lights had not clicked off as of 8 a.m. and drivers used their headlights on the way to work.

Similar conditions prevailed in Calgary, where it was difficult to make out the city’s skyline from any distance.

The air above Edmonton was washed with a dull orange light Wednesday morning as the sun tried to break through the haze. Residents spent the morning posting pictures of the glow, calling it “apocalyptic.”

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But Environment Canada meteorologist John Paul Cragg said it’s not the sky people need to worry about.

He said particulate matter, tiny bits of ash, wafting in from the western wildfires are deflecting much of the sun’s rays, leaving only longer wavelengths of light, like orange and red, to get through.

“There will be ash of a whole bunch of different sizes coming with this smoke,” Cragg said. “It’s the really fine particulate matter that we worry about mostly for air quality issues, because that’s the stuff that gets deep in your lungs.”

As of Wednesday evening, Environment Canada pegged Edmonton’s Air Quality Health Index at 10+, which is a very high risk condition. People may experience symptoms such as coughing, throat irritation, headaches or shortness of breath.

Chris Sikora, a medical health officer for the Edmonton zone of the Alberta Health Service, said the key to mitigating risk under these conditions is recognizing who is vulnerable and following the recommendations of the index.

Those at risk include the very young and elderly, those living with chronic heart and lung illnesses and people participating in sports or strenuous work outdoors.

Recently, he added, Alberta Health Link has seen a bump in calls related to asthma, wheezing and other breathing difficulties, which is not unusual in these conditions.

“People should be aware of what category they fit in and what the outdoor air quality is like,” Sikora said. “If people are experiencing a deterioration of symptoms, emergency departments, urgent care centres are well equipped to help manage.”

Without any rain to wash away the ash, forecasts expect air quality to get worse over the course of the day. Cragg said the smoke will likely linger until Sunday, when the area will start to see a northerly air flow.

Environment Canada has maintained a special air-quality statement for much of the Prairies, saying that conditions are not expected to change for the rest of the week.

According to the Northern Forestry Centre, a research station operated by Canadian Forest Services, hazy, smoky summers could be more common in the years to come.

“All the science seems to indicate or support that we should expect a lot more fire activity is going to be more the norm than the exception,” said Brian Wiens, the centre’s director of operations and planning.

Wiens said that, in the last couple of years, the forest fires have been “spectacularly bad in B.C.”

According to the Government of British Columbia, 2016 saw just over 1,000 wildfires burn more than 100,000 hectares in the province. Preliminary estimates for 2017 show that last year was considerably worse, when 1,353 fires burned more than 12 times that area.

Dry conditions tied to climate change are one factor behind all the blazes, Wiens explained.

“(Fires) are one of the things that we expect that we’d see more of,” said Wiens. “The other aspect is there’s strong evidence that suggests we’re going to see more lightning as well.”

About 57 per cent of B.C. wildfires were caused by lighting last year, up from 46 per cent in 2016.

Biologist Chris Fisher said the smoke is also taking a toll on wildlife, particularly birds pouring out from the arctic and boreal forests through Alberta that navigate by starlight.

“With our night skies obscured from smoke, for these birds, it must be like finding your way with a dimmed-out GPS,” Fisher said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if we see some lost wanderers who may end up mistaking Churchill for Cancun.”

Fisher said Alberta can expect a songbird fallout, meaning many will end up grounded here — a possible boon to local birdwatchers.

The prospect of smoky skies could also put a kink in plans for thousands of athletes in Edmonton if conditions continue into the weekend.

With 5,000 runners planning to push their bodies to the limit in the Servus Edmonton Marathon this weekend, organizers are watching the weather carefully.

“Today, we wouldn’t recommend anybody running outdoors,” said John Stanton, founder of The Running Room, in an interview Wednesday.

While Stanton says race organizers are optimistic that rain on Friday and Saturday could clear some of the smoke, they are already planning contingencies. Participants who are concerned about the air quality come race day will be allowed to move to a lighter level of competition.

Those registered for the marathon will be allowed to run the half-marathon instead, while those scheduled to run the half-marathon will be allowed to switch to the 10-kilometre race. Those running the 10-kilometre race will be allowed to move to the five-kilometre race without paying extra fees.

Organizers are encouraging those with health problems, such as diabetes or lung disease, to consult their doctors before participating.

While the smoke wasn’t enough of a deterrent to keep these Calgary joggers and cyclists indoors, marathon organizers are encouraging those with health problems, such as diabetes or lung disease, to consult their doctors before participating. (Evan Radford/ StarMetro Calgary)

Most competitors have been training for as long as 20 weeks ahead of the Edmonton Marathon, Stanton said, but many rest the week ahead of the marathon to ensure they are in peak condition.

For those still actively training, Stanton suggests they take their routine indoors.

“We’re recommending that if they do want to do some running today that they hop on a treadmill,” Stanton said.

If the air quality stays extremely poor, Stanton said organizers will call off the race.

If the air quality begins to clear, however, it will be up to the individual runners to decide what is best for them.

“Ease back a little bit. A lot of the time, if you adjust the intensity or the duration of your exercise, you can still exercise,” Stanton said.

Stanton said poor air quality will likely impact race times, as athletes should be concerned about their overall health and not challenging their best records under such conditions — but that will be easier said than done for athletes returning to the race looking to clinch spots on Canada’s Olympic teams.

Krista DuChene, who competed on Canada’s Olympic team in 2016 and placed third in the Boston Marathon in 2018, will be running the Edmonton Marathon in the hopes of securing a spot on the Canadian Olympic Team.